


Vulnerability

by lorenzobane



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Developing Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Gentle fluff, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 17:23:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12658062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorenzobane/pseuds/lorenzobane
Summary: Dating.There is a word that former First Officer Michael Burnam had not often used. Yet, the longer she thought about it, the longer she thought about herself and Lieutenant Tyler– Ash– as dating the more inexplicably delighted she becomes.They move slowly, and initially, Michael would not be remiss in thinking it is for her benefit. After all, she has made no secret of her confusion regarding the new more human elements of her life, and her lack of experience with them.But now, watching his dark, liquid eyes looking up her, looking now at how vulnerable he seems now, despite being several centimeters taller than her, she considers that perhaps he went slow for himself too.





	Vulnerability

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Уязвимость](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17553251) by [WTF_ST_Discovery_20XX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WTF_ST_Discovery_20XX/pseuds/WTF_ST_Discovery_20XX)



_Dating_.

There is a word that former First Officer Michael Burnam had not often used. Yet, the longer she thought about it, the longer she thought about herself and Lieutenant Tyler– Ash– as  _dating_ the more inexplicably delighted she becomes. 

They move slowly, and initially, Michael would not be remiss in thinking it is for her benefit. After all, she has made no secret of her confusion regarding the new more human elements of her life, and her lack of experience with them. 

But now, watching his dark, liquid eyes looking up her her, looking now at how vulnerable he seems now, despite being several centimeters taller than her, she considers that perhaps he went slow for himself too. 

Very little was made public about his time trapped as a Klingon POW, but he once told her with a wry, sardonic twist of his lips that he was the “favorite” of a Klingon woman. 

Michael may not be versed well in elements of human dating, but she is an expert xenoanthropologist. She knows what Klingon women do with their favorites.  

They are laying on his bed, her hips straddling his. They have been doing this more and more now too. A slow build up. In the few movies, she had watched with her mother Amanda she had been lead to believe that humans more often jumped right into the more typical mating acts. Ash, however, seems to delight in long, lush moments where they do nothing but curl up into each other and kiss.   

She enjoys it tremendously and is naturally a curious scientist. If the earliest stages of human intimacy can be this rewarding, how much better could it become? She had not hesitated long after that realization. Her desire to be honest, forthright and straightforward in their relationship meant that she expressed her desire to experiment with more. 

He responded beautifully, his kind face and large brown eyes widened before he stood in front of her, so close they were chest to chest and she needed to crane her neck. 

She had never understood the appeal of being small, her body is as hardened as any warrior and she is trained in the Vulcan Martial Arts. Yet, she feels her heart and her stomach twist painful when she is forced to look up, way up, to meet his smile. 

“Easy, Burnam,” he says, his smile is kind and gentle as it always is. “We’ve got all night.” 

It was going well. Their hands sliding against each other. She shivers as his huge hand cups her back, and she feels so surrounded. So safe. On instinct, she shifts, twisting so she is now on top of him, her hands on his shoulders ready to lean back in. 

Until she feels him  _freeze_ below him. His hands go completely still on her hips and he looks briefly terrified. But what scares her more is the way his face goes completely blank. His warm, affectionate smile drops off his face in an instant and is pulled into a tight, unhappy line. 

“Easy, Tyler,” she says softly, imitating his calming voice. “I am in no rush. I find your presence to be… More than sufficient. If this is not something you are ready for” 

“No,” he says, his voice equally soft as he cups a tender hand around her cheek. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just.. I don’t like–” 

He stops, clearly at a loss for words and this is a new situation for them. Normally, when they discuss their emotions it is she who freezes up. Who doesn’t have the words. A consequence of a childhood spent with Vulcans.

Michael waits patiently for him to have the words. He takes a few deep breaths, running his big hands up and down her thighs. 

“I don’t like… being on my back,” he admits finally. “I… In… When I was a Klingon POW…” 

She stops him, he clearly feels obligated to speak rather than truly wanting to and this experience was always meant to be an adventure together. Instead of making him speak, she simply twists again, so she is on her back under his stomach. He looks down at her, surprised briefly at the shift in position. That alone speaks volumes to his mental state. He is a fine, and focused warrior, he is not often easily malleable. 

Unless they are together.

Unless he is with her. 

“There is no right way,” she reminds him. “We will find a way that works for us. If this is the way that works for us, that makes you feel safe, then I am content.” 

He looks down her and smiles brilliantly. She is surprised at how much she loves his softness. The way gentleness seems to get him going far more than any rough touch she has ever used. She experiments with this by running a gentle, soothing hand down his back and he shudders like he is in a cold wind. Clearly overwhelmed Ash buries his face in her shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” Ash says. “I know that you don’t have any experience, and I must be so-” 

Michael stops him. “You are not supposed to be anything but yourself, Ash Tyler. You have been patient with me, kind and supportive. There is so much I don’t know about this type of interaction. But if there is one thing I do know, that you have taught me, is that neither of us is ever expected to be strong all the time. We are simply human.” 

She takes a careful hand and places it on his chest. “Let’s be human, together.”

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, Ash Tyler is not allowed to be Voq. But if he is, and if they really do decide to make a Pakistani man a renegade extremist disguised as a friend then... I guess that is just where we are and I elect to ignore it. But he's my precious giant puppy and I love him truly. 
> 
> Also, Michael is my favorite of all time. She's such a stone cold badass but is also so sweet and gentle and curious. Like, can she kick your scrawny ass? Yes. But she'd rather talk to you about the universe and speak poetically for no reason other than she is The Best. 
> 
> Anyway, they are a pure love and deserve each other.


End file.
